Mackenzie Lovelace
'Mackenzie Lovelace '(born February 8, 1986), also known as "Mack Love", is a Canadian former right-handed professional baseball pitcher in the North American Baseball Conference. He was a member of the Inaugural Draft of 2015, and is considered one of the pioneering pitchers in the NABC. Lovelace is considered an integral contributor to the first US American Grand Finals victory in 2016, a feat accomplished while he was a part of the Philadelphia Blackbirds. Philadelphia Blackbirds Mackenzie Lovelace was the first player drafted by the Blackbirds in the 2015 NABC Inaugural Draft. He received attention for his unusual name prior to the draft, and was followed afterwards due to his pitching skill. Before the 2015 NABC season began, however, he was sidelined for 4 months due to a torn tricep after his first spring training game. Lovelace began 10 games in 2015, getting the win for 6 of them, posting an impressive 2.64 ERA. Mack Love's 2016 season was the best of his career. He finished first in the ERA race with a posting of 2.26, with 17 wins and 5 losses. Along with this, he also finished first in WHIP (1.01), and received the Malloy Award to cap off the season. He gained baseball acclaim in this season, having been considered the best pitcher in the league. It was in this 2016 season that Lovelace won the American Grand Finals with the Philadelphia Blackbirds. Lovelace's 2017 season saw similarly dominant numbers as his previous two seasons. He had the most wins in this season than any season in his career, posting a 19-6 record with a 2.78 ERA. He clutched the Win race during this season. In his final season with the Blackbirds, his ERA exceeded 3 with a 3.30 posting. Lovelace asked for 20 million-per-year, and was denied by the Blackbirds, prompting him to take free agency for his 33-year-old season. Kansas City Conquest During the 2018 off-season, Lovelace signed with the Kansas City Conquest for 3 years and 59.6 million dollars. He achieved little relative success in 2019, posting a 3.62 ERA. After posting a 3.30 ERA in 2020, some speculated his decline was at hand, and that the Conquest committed a folly in signing him. In his final year with the Conquest, however, Lovelace experienced a surge. He matched his 2016 peak season with a 2.26 ERA, and returned to the All-Star game at age 35. An injury that shortened his season, however, contributed to Kansas City's unwillingness to resign him, and he entered free agency by October. Carolina Barons Lovelace signed a 3 year, 83.4 million dollar deal with the Barons on December 28, 2021, angering many fans. They felt he was two old for such a hefty contract, and was ultimately going to deteriorate. Fans' fears came true, and the Barons' front office was considered a joke over the 2022 and 2023 season, where Lovelace posted a 3.72 and 4.08 ERA over approximately 320 innings pitched In 2024, the season that the Barons won their second World Series, Lovelace only pitched 5 innings, an effort from the Barons organization to ultimately run out Lovelace's contract. He entered free agency in the offseason. Houston Apollos Lovelace signed a $910,000 contract with the Apollos on March 1, 2025. He suffered an assortment of minor injuries and posted a 4.30 ERA in 60.2 IP. He retired by the end of the 2025 season.